Write-once-read-many optical disk having low-to-high recording property accommodating short wavelength recording

ABSTRACT

A write-only-read-many type optical recording medium includes a substrate, an organic material layer having a light absorption function that is sufficient for recording in the recording/reproduction wavelength range, the organic material layer being situated on the substrate, and a reflection layer being situated on the organic material layer. The recording medium is configured to have a Low-to-High recording property and record with a laser having a wavelength that is no greater than 500 nm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.11/191,116, filed Jul. 28, 2005, pending, the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a write-once-read-many (WORM)optical disk, and more particularly to a write-once-read-many opticaldisk being able to perform high density recording in a wavelength rangethat is no greater than blue laser wavelength.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years and continuing, development of blue laser, which enablesultra-high density recording, is rapidly growing. Furthermore,write-once-read-many type optical disks are being developed along withthe rapid development of blue laser.

In the conventional write-once-read-many type optical disk, a laser beamis irradiated to a recording layer formed of an organic material so asto form recording pits in the recording layer (the recording pits mainlyformed by change of refractive index created by decomposition/alterationof the organic material). Accordingly, the optical constant anddecomposition behavior of the organic material used in the recordinglayer are important elements for forming satisfactory recording pits.

It is, therefore, necessary to select a material having suitable opticalproperty with respect to blue laser wavelength and decompositionbehavior. That is, for the purpose of increasing reflectivity in anunrecorded state, and/or for the purpose of creating a considerablechange of refractive index by decomposing the organic material byirradiating laser thereto (thereby obtaining a large degree ofmodulation), the recording/reproduction wavelength is selected so thatit is situated at a bottom of a long wavelength side of a largeabsorption band.

This is because the bottom toward the long wavelength side of the largeabsorption band of the organic material is a wavelength area in which asuitable absorption coefficient and a large refractive index can beobtained.

Nevertheless, with respect to blue laser wavelength, there is hardly anyorganic material providing an optical property with a value equivalentto that of a conventional recording layer. In order to obtain an organicmaterial having an absorption band in the vicinity of the blue laserwavelength, the molecular structure is to be reduced or its conjugatedsystem is to be shortened. This, however, leads to decrease ofabsorption coefficient (light absorption function), that is, decrease ofrefractive index.

In other words, although there are many organic materials havingabsorption bands in the vicinity of the blue laser wavelength range andalthough it is possible to control absorption coefficient, such organicmaterials do not have a large refractive index and are unable to attaina sufficient modulation degree (degree of modulation).

Patent Documents 1-5 (corresponding to Japanese Laid-Open PatentApplication Nos. 2001-181524, 2001-158865, 2000-343824, 2000-343825, and2000-335110) are examples showing the organic materials used for bluelaser. However, in the embodiments of these documents, merely thesolution and spectrum of the thin film are measured. There is nodescription regarding a recording/reproduction operation in thesedocuments.

Although there are some descriptions regarding recording/reproduction inthe embodiments of Patent Documents 6-8 (corresponding to JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Application Nos. 11-221964, 11-334206, and 2000-43423),the recording wavelength thereof is 488 nm. Furthermore, the documentsdo not describe the conditions for recording or the density of recordingbut merely describe that satisfactory recording pits can be formed.

Although there are some descriptions regarding recording/reproduction inthe embodiment of Patent Documents 9 (corresponding to JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Application No. 11-58955), the recording wavelengththereof is 430 nm. Furthermore, the document do not describe theconditions for recording or the density of recording but merely describethat satisfactory degree of modulation can be obtained.

Furthermore, although a recording wavelength of 430 nm and a NA of 0.65are described in the embodiments of Patent Documents 10-19(corresponding to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Nos. 2001-39034,2000-149320, 2000-113504, 2000-108513, 2000-222772, 2000-218940,2000-222771, 2000-158818, 2000-280621, and 2000-280620), the recordingis conducted with a low recording density (same recording density asDVD) in which the shortest pit is 0.4 μm.

Although a recording/reproduction wavelength of 405-408 nm is describedin the embodiment of Patent Document 20 (corresponding to JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-146074), the embodiment does notspecifically describe the recording density, but merely describes a lowrecording density in which 14T-EFM signals are used for recording.

Therefore, the above-described documents show that there is hardly anyorganic material that is able to provide an optical constant equal tothe optical constant desired for a recording layer of a conventionalwrite-only-read-many optical disk, in the vicinity of the 405 nm (centerarea of the oscillation wavelength of the blue semiconductor laseremployed in current practical use).

Furthermore, there is no example which clearly defines the recordingconditions in the vicinity of a wavelength of 405 nm and records with arecording density higher than that of DVD.

Furthermore, in a write-only-read-many optical disk employing aconventional organic material, the main absorption band of the organicmaterial is situated in the vicinity of the recording/reproductionwavelength. Therefore, the dependency of the optical constant of theorganic material with respect to wavelength becomes greater (therebycausing complex refractive index δn and/or δk to change considerablyeven when there is only a slight change of wavelength δ λ, see FIG. 1).Therefore, this leads to a problem where reflectivity, and recordingcharacteristics, such as recording sensitivity, modulation degree,jitter, and error rate to change considerably when change ofrecording/reproduction wavelength occurs due to, for example, individualdifferences amongst lasers or change in ambient temperature.

Meanwhile, from the aspect of reducing the cost and energy fordeveloping pigments, Patent Document 21 (corresponding to JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-74740), describes an opticalrecording medium having a pigment with a maximum absorption that issituated toward a long wavelength compared to the wavelength of lightbeam employed for writing. However, the difference between this exampleand the present invention is described below.

Conventionally, it is typical for a write-only-read-many optical disk tohave a High-to-Low recording property. Therefore, it is necessary toselect an organic material, such as a pigment capable of providing acomplex refractive index that is substantially equal to that of aconventional recording layer. However, since the typical organicmaterial for short wavelength has a small molecular structure, there arefew parts to which a substituent having a donor/acceptor effect can beapplied. Furthermore, even in a case where the molecular structure islarge, the substituent is unable to sufficiently provide thedonor/acceptor effect since the conjugated system is short.

Therefore, in a case of a recording/reproduction wavelength area that isno greater than that of a blue laser, it is extremely difficult toobtain a complex refractive index that is substantially equal to that ofa red laser wavelength area. Furthermore, even if there is an organicmaterial that is able to provide a complex refractive index that issubstantially the same as that of the red laser wavelength area, it isextremely difficult to optimize the complex refractive index of theorganic material to the recording/reproduction wavelength.

Furthermore, in a conventional exemplary case of realizing a High-to-Lowrecording property, the absorption band of the organic material layer isset to be situated toward the short wave side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range, and the recording/reproductionwavelength is set to be situated at the bottom of the absorption band ofthe organic material layer. However, under these conditions, there is aproblem in which the organic material layer requires to be designed inaccordance with the selection of the recording/reproduction wavelengthand a problem in which the recording/reproduction property considerablychanges with respect to the change in the wavelength of the laser duringrecording/reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide awrite-once-read-many optical recording medium that substantiallyobviates one or more of the problems caused by the limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

Features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will become apparent from thedescription and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practiceof the invention according to the teachings provided in the description.Objects as well as other features and advantages of the presentinvention will be realized and attained by a write-once-read-manyoptical recording medium particularly pointed out in the specificationin such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a personhaving ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, theinvention provides a write-only-read-many type optical recording mediumincluding: a substrate; an organic material layer having a lightabsorption function that is sufficient for recording in therecording/reproduction wavelength range, the organic material layerbeing situated on the substrate; and a reflection layer being situatedon the organic material layer; wherein the recording medium isconfigured to have a Low-to-High recording property and record with alaser having a wavelength that is no greater than 500 nm.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a write-only-read-many typeoptical recording medium including: a substrate; a reflection layerbeing situated on the substrate; an organic material layer having alight absorption function that is sufficient for recording in therecording/reproduction wavelength range, the organic material layerbeing situated on the reflection layer; and a cover layer being situatedon the organic material layer; wherein the recording medium isconfigured to have a Low-to-High recording property and record with alaser having a wavelength that is no greater than 500 nm.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the write-only-read-many typeoptical recording medium may further include: a heat insulating layersituated between the organic material layer and the reflection layer.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the heat insulating layer mayincludes any of SiO₂, ZnS.SiO₂, and ZrO₂ as a main component.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the heat insulating layer mayinclude ZnS, ZrO₂, Y₂O₃, and SiO₂.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the heat insulating layer mayinclude ZrO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, and X, wherein X includes at least one ofAl₂O₃, MgO, CaO, NbO, Y₂O₃, and CeO.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the organic material layer mayinclude an organic material having a main absorption band situatedtoward the long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range and a second absorption bandsituated in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength range.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the substrate may include grooveparts and land parts, wherein recording can be performed on both thegroove parts and land parts.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a write-only-read-many typeoptical recording medium including: a substrate; an organic materiallayer being situated on the substrate; and a light absorption layerbeing situated adjacent to the organic material layer; wherein therecording medium is configured to have a Low-to-High recording propertyand record with a laser having a wavelength that is no greater than 500nm.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the write-only-read-many typeoptical recording medium may further include: a reflection layer,wherein the light absorption layer, the organic material layer, and thereflection layer are layered in this order.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the write-only-read-many typeoptical recording medium may further include: a reflection layer; and acover layer; wherein the reflection layer, the organic material layer,the light absorption layer, and the cover layer are layered in thisorder.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the light absorption layer mayhave a light absorption function for providing the Low-to-High recordingproperty by generating change of complex refractive index, change ofvolume, or space parts in the organic material layer.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the light absorption layer mayhave a light absorption function for providing the Low-to-High recordingproperty by transforming the light absorption layer.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the organic material layer mayinclude an organic material having a main absorption band situatedtoward the long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range and a second absorption bandsituated in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength range.

In the write-only-read-many type optical recording medium according toan embodiment of the present invention, the organic material may satisfya relation of (light absorption function of organic material layer inrecording/reproduction wavelength area)<(light absorption function oflight absorption layer in recording/reproduction wavelength area).

Other objects and further features of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a considerable amount of change of complexrefractive index δn or δk with respect to a slight amount of change ofwavelength δ λ, in a case of a write-once-read-many optical recordingmedium using a conventional organic material;

FIG. 2 is a diagram for showing that matching of difficulty in matchinga pigment with respect to a recording/reproduction wavelength by usingthe technology shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.2002-74740;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing the organic material (organicmaterial layer) according to an embodiment of the present inventionhaving a second absorption band situated in the vicinity of therecording/reproduction wavelength range (area illustrated with diagonallines) and toward the short wavelength side with respect to the mainabsorption band, instead of having the main absorption band situated(matched) to the recording/reproduction wavelength range;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing a main absorption band and a secondabsorption band according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an absorption spectrum of a pigment (organicmaterial) used in a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an eye pattern of a reproduction signal(s)of a write-only-read-many optical recording medium according to a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing results in evaluating changes (e.g. jitterchange) by recording in various recording powers, at recorded parts andunrecorded parts of a write-only-read-many optical recording mediumaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an absorption spectrum of a pigment (organicmaterial) used in a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing results in evaluating changes (e.g. jitterchange) by recording in various recording powers, at recorded parts andunrecorded parts of a write-only-read-many optical recording mediumaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing of one example of an optical recordingmedium of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing of another example of an opticalrecording medium of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic drawing of yet another example of an opticalrecording medium of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic drawing of further yet another example of anoptical recording medium of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

In a conventional write-only-read-many optical disk, it is desired toincrease reflectivity of the write-only-read-many optical disk forattaining compatibility with ROM.

However, among currently developed optical recording media for bluelaser wavelength, a rewritable type optical recording medium using phasechange is developed earlier than the ROM type optical recording medium.Thus, the rewritable type optical recording medium is the standardrecording medium for recording in the blue wavelength area.

The rewritable type optical disk typically has a low reflectivity thatis no greater than 10%. Therefore, there is little need for increasingreflectivity for a short wavelength area that is no greater than theblue laser wavelength. Furthermore, even if the ROM type is developed,the ROM type may not be able to provide a high reflectivity since thereflectivity of the reflection layer itself is low in the shortwavelength area that is no greater than the blue laser wavelength.

Therefore, the present invention proposes to provide a Low-to-Highrecording property (signal polarity) to a write-once-read-many opticaldisk in the recording/reproduction wavelength range that is no greaterthan the blue laser wavelength (no greater than 500 nm).

It is to be noted that, although the above-described Patent Document 21provides a write-once-read-many optical disk which reverses the relationbetween the conventional pigment (organic compound) and therecording/reproduction wavelength. However, the technology disclosed inPatent Document 21, requires to match the recording/reproductionwavelength to the bottom of the short wavelength side of the mainabsorption band of the pigment. Therefore, this technology has yet toovercome the difficult problem of matching (adjusting) therecording/reproduction wavelength with respect to the pigment (See FIG.2). Furthermore, there is no description regarding recording property(Low-to-High recording property) in Patent Document 21. Therefore, thetechnology disclosed in Patent Document 21 is different from that of thepresent invention.

With optical recording medium of the first embodiment of the presentinvention, the recording/reproduction wavelength is not set to matchwith the main absorption band of the pigment (organic material). Withoptical recording medium of the first embodiment of the presentinvention, the recording/reproduction wavelength range is set in thevicinity of an absorption band that is not assigned to the mainabsorption band (hereinafter referred to “second absorption band”). Thesecond absorption band is situated more toward the short wavelength sidethan the main absorption band (See FIG. 3. The recording/reproductionwavelength range in this embodiment of the present invention is set inthe area illustrated with diagonal lines of FIG. 3).

In other words, the organic material employed in this embodiment of thepresent invention has a second absorption band which is not assigned toa main absorption band (an organic material having a second absorptionband having a smaller absorption function (i.e. absorption coefficient)than the main absorption band and having a broad spectrum) and has amain absorption band that is situated more toward the long wavelengthside than the second absorption band (See FIG. 3).

It is to be noted that “main absorption band” according to the presentinvention refers to an absorption band having the largest absorption(absorption coefficient) in the visible range, as shown in FIG. 4. Themain absorption band usually indicates an absorption band based onHOMO-LUMO transition.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, although the pigment (organic material)having an absorption spectrum shown in FIG. 5 has an absorption bandwhich is largest in the wavelength area that is no greater than 300 nm,this absorption band is not referred to as the main absorption bandaccording to the present invention. In the present invention, theabsorption band situated in the vicinity of 700 nm (largest absorptionband in the visible range) is referred to as the main absorption band.

Furthermore, “the absorption band that is not assigned to the mainabsorption band and is situated more toward the short wavelength sidethan the main absorption band (second absorption band)” according to thepresent invention refers to an absorption band based on a transitionthat is different from that of the main absorption band (i.e. anabsorption band that is not based on HOMO-LUMO transition), as shown inFIG. 4.

In the present invention, the advantages of providing a Low-to-Highrecording property are given below.

a) Since the write-once-read-many optical disk according to the presentinvention requires no precise control (matching) of the position betweenthe main absorption band of the organic material and therecording/reproduction wavelength range, typical pigments applied to,for example, CD-R or DVD-R or compounds that are easy to composite canbe used.b) Since the write-once-read-many optical disk has a layer structurewhich is the same as that of a conventional write-once-read-many opticaldisk or a layer structure which simply has a heat insulating layer addedto the conventional write-once-read-many optical disk, the opticalrecording medium according to the present invention can be fabricatedwith a simple configuration.c) Since the recording/reproduction wavelength range of thewrite-once-read-many optical disk according to the present invention isnot set in the vicinity of the main absorption band of the organicmaterial, the wavelength of the laser used for recording/reproductioncan be easily shortened (i.e. the degree of freedom of therecording/reproduction wavelength is large).d) In relation to the change of recording/reproduction wavelength, thechange of reflectivity and/or change of recording characteristics suchas recording sensitivity, modulation degree, jitter, error rate can bereduced (This owes to the fact that the absorption function of the mainabsorption band having large absorption coefficient is not used and thatthere is little change of complex refractive index of the organicmaterial in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength).

For the purpose of providing the Low-to-High recording property, anoptical recording medium 20 according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention includes a substrate 11 on which an organic materiallayer 12 having a sufficient light absorption function for recording inthe recording/reproduction wavelength range and a reflection layer 13that are layered in this order. Furthermore, another optical recordingmedium 200 according to the first embodiment of the present inventionincludes a substrate 110 on which a reflection layer 130, an organicmaterial layer 120 having a sufficient light absorption function forrecording in a recording/reproduction wavelength range, and a coverlayer 140 that are layered in this order.

With the foregoing configurations of the optical recording media 20, 200according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the organicmaterial layers 12, 120 serve to provide the main light absorptionfunction since the layers other than the organic material layers 12, 120do not have enough absorption function for recording.

As long as a sufficient light absorption function can be provided, thereis no particular restriction regarding the organic material that can beused in the present invention. It is, however, preferable to employ anorganic material having a second absorption band (i.e. absorption bandthat is not assigned to the main absorption band) situated in thevicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength range in order toeasily realizing the Low-to-High recording property.

It is to be noted that, the second absorption band (i.e. absorption bandthat is not assigned to the main absorption band situated toward thelong wavelength side with respect to the recording/reproductionwavelength range) is desired to have a sufficient light absorptionfunction (i.e. absorption coefficient) for recording in therecording/reproduction wavelength range.

For example, in the pigment (organic material) having the absorptionspectrum shown in FIG. 5, the second absorption band (i.e. absorptionband which is not assigned to the main absorption band) has a sufficientlight absorption function (i.e. absorption coefficient) for recording inthe recording/reproduction wavelength range. Meanwhile, in the pigment(organic material) having the absorption spectrum shown in FIG. 8, thesecond absorption band is deviated from the recording/reproductionwavelength range and has a low light absorption function for recording(The area illustrated with a broken line in FIGS. 5 and 8 indicates therecording/reproduction wavelength range. The range has the blue laserwavelength of 405 nm as its center and covers the fluctuation range ofthe wavelength).

Therefore, the organic material having the absorption spectrum shown inFIG. 5 is preferably used as the organic material layer in a case ofusing an optical recording medium including a substrate on which anorganic material layer having a sufficient light absorption function forrecording in the recording/reproduction wavelength range and areflection layer that are layered in this order, or in a case of usinganother optical recording medium including a substrate on which areflection layer, an organic material layer having a sufficient lightabsorption function for recording in the recording/reproductionwavelength range, and a cover layer that are layered in this order.

Since the organic material layer 12, 120 is formed by theabove-described organic material having a main absorption band situatedtoward the long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range and having a second absorptionband (i.e. absorption band that is not assigned to the main absorptionband) situated in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelengthrange, a Low-to-High recording property can easily be attained for theoptical recording medium 20, 200. Furthermore, since the organicmaterial layer 12, 120 serves to provide the main light absorptionfunction, the configuration of the optical recording medium 20, 200 canbe simplified.

With the light absorption function of the organic material layer 12, 120according to the first embodiment of the present invention, recordedparts are formed in accordance with the below-given processes a)-d).

a) Transforming the substrate.b) Changing the complex refractive index of the organic material layer.c) Changing the volume of the organic material layer.d) Forming space parts (cavity parts) in the organic material layer.

The present invention according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention does not use the above-described organic material having amain absorption band situated toward the long wavelength side withrespect to the recording/reproduction wavelength range and a secondabsorption band situated in the vicinity of the recording/reproductionwavelength range.

In order to attain the Low-to-High recording property, the opticalrecording medium according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention is configured having a substrate on which a light absorptionlayer and an organic material layer are provided adjacently. In theoptical recording medium according to the second embodiment of thepresent invention, the light absorption layer serves to provide the mainlight absorption function instead of the organic material layerdescribed in the first embodiment of the present invention. Therefore,the degree of freedom in selecting the organic material for the organicmaterial layer can be increased.

Therefore, not only the “organic material having a main absorption bandsituated toward the long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength and a second absorption band situatedin the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength” may be usedfor the organic material layer, but also other organic materials may beused for the organic material layer. That is, there is no particularcondition regarding, for example, the relation between the position ofthe recording/reproduction wavelength range and the position of theabsorption bands of the organic material layer, or the absorptionfunction of the organic material layer in the recording/reproductionwavelength area.

For example, the organic material having the absorption spectrum shownin FIG. 8 (which hardly has any absorption function (absorptioncoefficient) in the recording/reproduction wavelength range) can be usedfor the organic material layer according to the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

However, in order to increase reflectivity in an unrecorded state andenhance recording/reproduction characteristics, it is desired that theorganic material layer satisfies the below-given relation.

(light absorption function of organic material layer inrecording/reproduction wavelength area)<(light absorption function oflight absorption layer in recording/reproduction wavelength area)

Accordingly, by adding the light absorption layer, conventional organicmaterials may be used for the organic material layer of thewrite-only-read-many optical recording medium. Thereby, recording can beperformed on the write-only-read-many optical recording medium by using,for example, transformation of the light absorption layer.

One example of the optical recording medium according to the secondembodiment is an optical recording medium 300 including a substrate 210on which a light absorption layer 220, an organic material layer 230,and a reflection layer 240 that are layered in this order. Anotherexample of the optical recording medium according to the secondembodiment is an optical recording medium 400 including a substrate 310on which a reflection layer 320, an organic material layer 330, lightabsorption layer 340, and a cover layer 350 that are layered in thisorder.

With the light absorption function of the light absorption layer 220,340 according to the second embodiment of the present invention,recorded parts are formed in accordance with the below-given processesa)-e).

a) Transforming the light absorption layer.b) Transforming the substrate.c) Changing the complex refractive index of the organic material layer.d) Changing the volume of the organic material layer.e) Forming space parts (space parts) in the organic material layer.

However, even if the above-described conditions are satisfied, the filmthicknesses of each layer or the complex refractive index are to besuitably optimized for attaining the Low-to-High recording property.

In the optical recording medium according to the second embodiment ofthe present invention, a) either an organic material having a mainabsorption band situated toward the long wavelength side with respect tothe recording/reproduction wavelength range or an organic materialhaving a main absorption band situated toward the long wavelength sidewith respect to the recording/reproduction wavelength range and a secondabsorption band situated in the recording/reproduction wavelength rangeis selected, b) the light absorption layer is situated adjacent to theorganic material layer. Therefore, there is no need to maintain apredetermined relation between the absorption spectrum of the organicmaterial and the recording/reproduction wavelength. Furthermore,recording characteristics (e.g. recording sensitivity, modulationdegree, jitter, error rate) and/or reflectivity can be prevented fromchanging considerably with respect to the change ofrecording/reproduction wavelength (See FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The relationbetween the absorption spectrum of the conventional optical recordingmedium and the recording/reproduction wavelength is shown in FIGS. 1 and2. FIG. 3 shows the change of complex refractive index in a case usingthe optical recording medium of the present invention, in which thechange of complex refractive index in the vicinity of therecording/reproduction wavelength (area illustrated with diagonal lines)is considerably moderate.)

Meanwhile, the optical recording medium according to the firstembodiment of the present invention may further be provided with a heatinsulating layer 15, 150 disposed between the organic material layer 12,120 and the reflection layer 13, 130 (See FIGS. 10 and 11). By providingthe heat insulating layer 15, 150 between the organic material layer 12,120 and the reflection layer 13, 130, the change of complex refractiveindex of the organic material layer 12, 120 and/or the change of volumeof the organic material layer 12, 120 can be created more efficientlyand recording sensitivity can be improved. The heat insulating layer 15,150 not only provides a heat insulating effect, but may also be used forcontrolling reflectivity in an unrecorded state or for controllingmodulation degree.

In the write-only-read-many optical recording medium according to asecond embodiment of the present invention having an organic materiallayer with a conventional organic material, the organic material layeris commonly formed by a spin-coating method. Therefore, in the organicmaterial layer, the thickness of the organic material layer tends to begreater at the groove parts compared to that at the land parts.Furthermore, only the organic material of the organic material layerserves to provide a light absorption function. Furthermore, the organicmaterial of the organic material layer mainly creates modulation degreeby causing, for example, change of optical constant.

Accordingly, even if satisfactory recording can be performed on thegroove parts in the organic material layer, the land parts having lesserthickness than the groove parts leads to reduction of light absorptionfunction and reduction in the amount of phase difference change causedby recording. This commonly results in a poor recording performance(Particularly, in the land parts of an optical recording medium having asubstrate on which an organic material layer and a reflection layer arelayered in this order, the high thermal conductivity of the reflectionlayer makes it difficult for the recording material layer to reach atemperature required for forming recording parts).

It is, however, possible to provide the land parts with arecording/reproduction characteristic that is the same as that of thegroove parts by performing an evaporation method on the organic materiallayer or by performing a spin-coating method with optimized coatingconditions on the organic material layer.

Meanwhile, by providing the heat insulating layer between the organicmaterial layer and the reflection layer of the optical recording mediumaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention, the heatinsulating layer prevents heat from spreading from the reflection layer.Accordingly, the organic material layer can be heated to the temperaturefor forming recording parts even in a case where a sufficient lightabsorption function cannot be attained due to the thin land parts in theorganic material layer. Thereby, recording parts can be formed in boththe land parts and the groove parts of the organic material layer.

It is to be noted that, the recording characteristics (e.g. recordingsensitivity, modulation degree) may be different in the groove parts andthe land parts (i.e. the recording characteristics in the groove partsand the land parts are not required to be the same).

Furthermore, in the optical recording medium according to the secondembodiment of the present invention, the light absorption layer isprovided adjacent to the organic material layer so that the lightabsorption layer serves to provide the light absorption function insteadof the organic material layer.

The light absorption layer may be formed of a material such as ceramic,metal or a semi-metal. Since the light absorption layer is normallydeposited by using a sputtering method or an evaporation method, thereis no difference of light absorption function at the groove parts andthe land parts.

Therefore, although there may be a difference of modulation degree dueto the difference of thickness at the groove parts and the land parts ofthe organic material layer, the configuration of having the organicmaterial layer deposited (e.g. spin-coated) on the light absorptionlayer enables recording parts to be easily formed in both the grooveparts and the land parts of the organic material layer. Accordingly,high density recording can easily be achieved.

As describe above, it is also possible to form the recording parts ineither the groove parts or the land parts of the organic material layer.

Although the optical recording medium according to the foregoingembodiments of the present invention is formed with a layeredconfiguration including a substrate, an organic material layer, a heatinsulating layer, a reflection layer, and a cover layer or a layeredconfiguration including a substrate, a reflection layer, an organiclayer, a light absorption layer, and a cover layer, other layers such asan undercoat layer, an overcoat layer, or a protective layer may also beprovided according to necessity.

Various materials may be employed as the substrate as long as thematerial is a transparent material that allows recording light andreproduction light to be transmitted therethrough. The materialincludes, for example, resin material (e.g. acrylate resin, methacrylicresin, polycarbonate resin, polyolefine resin (particularly, amorphouspolyolefine), polyester resin, polystyrene resin, epoxy resin), glassmaterial, or a glass material having radiation cured resin (e.g.photo-curing resin) applied thereon. It is preferable to employ aninjection molded polycarbonate as the substrate from the aspects of, forexample, productivity, manufacturing cost, and moisture absorptionresistance. It is preferable to employ an amorphous polyolefine from theaspects of, for example, chemical resistance and moisture absorptionresistance. Furthermore, it is preferable to employ a glass materialfrom the aspects of, for example, high speed response and prevention ofpores (gaps).

Furthermore, a resin substrate or a resin layer may be provided in amanner contacting the organic material layer or the optical absorptionlayer, and guiding grooves and pits for the recording/reproduction lightbeam may be formed in the resin substrate or the resin layer.

As for the organic material employed for the organic material layer, itis preferable to use a pigment. The pigment includes, for example,metal-containing azo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, naphthalocyaninepigments, cyanine pigments, azo pigments, squarium pigments,metal-containing indoaniline pigments, triarylmethane pigments,merocyanine pigments, azulenium pigments, naphthquinone pigments,anthraquinone pigments, indophenol pigments, xanthene pigments, oxadinepigments, and pyrilium pigments.

Furthermore, the organic material layer may also contain, for example, atransition-metal compound (e.g. acetylacetonchelate, bisphenyldithior,salicylaldehydeoxime, bisdithio-α-diketone) as a singlet oxygen quencherfor stabilizing the organic material or for improving light resistance.The organic material layer may also contain, for example, recordingsensitivity enhancement agents such as metal compounds for enhancingrecording sensitivity.

Here, metal compounds refer to metals (e.g. transition-metal) containedin a compound in the form of, for example, atoms, ions, or clusters(e.g. organic metal compounds such as ethylenediamine complex,azomethine complex, phenylhydroxyamine complex, phenanthroline complex,dihydroxyazobenzene complex, dioxime complex, nitrosaminophenol complex,pyridyltriazine complex, acetylacetonate complex, methalocene complex,and porphyrin complex). Although there are no particular limitationsregarding metal atoms, it is preferable to employ transition-metal.Furthermore, the above-described organic materials may be used togetherwith other pigments according to necessity.

Furthermore, the above-described organic materials may be used togetherwith binders, leveling agents, and anti-foaming agents according tonecessity. As a preferable binder, there is, for example, polyvinylalcohol, a polyvinyl pyrrolidone, nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate,ketone resin, acrylic resin, polystyrene resin, urethane resin,polyvinyl butyral, polycarbonate, and polyolefine.

Since the suitable thickness of the organic material layer differsdepending on the recording method, there is no particular limitregarding the thickness of the organic material layer. The thickness ofthe organic material layer normally ranges from 50 nm to 300 nm.

As for the method of depositing the organic material layer, there are,for example, common thin film fabrication methods, such as, avacuum-evaporation method, a sputtering method, a doctor-blade method, acasting method, a spin-coating method, and a steeping method. It ispreferable to employ the spin-coating method from the aspect ofmass-production and manufacturing cost. Furthermore, it is preferable toemploy a vacuum-evaporation method from the aspect of forming therecording layer with an even (uniform) thickness.

In a case of using the spin-coating method, a rotation speed rangingfrom 500 rpm to 15000 rpm is preferable. Furthermore, the substrate, insome cases, may be applied with, for example, heat or solvent vaporafter the spin-coating process. There is no particular restrictionregarding the solvent used in forming the recording layer with theabove-described coating methods (e.g. doctor-blade method, castingmethod, spin-coating method, steeping method) as long as the solventdoes not damage the substrate.

The solvent includes, for example, ketone alcohol solvents (e.g.diacetone alcohol, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone), cellosolve solvents(e.g. methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve), chain hydrocarbon solvents(e.g. n-hexane, n-octane), cyclic hydrocarbon solvents (e.g.cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, ethylcyclohexane, dimethylcyclohexane,n-butylcylcohexane, tert-butylcyclohexane, cyclooctane), perfluoroalkylalcohol solvents (e.g. tetrafluoropropanol, octafluoropentanol,hexafluorobutanol), and hydroxy carboxylate solvents (e.g. methyllactate, ethyl lactate, methyl isobutyrate).

As for other materials that may be used for the organic material layer,there is, for example, polymer materials, phase change materials,photochromic materials, and thermochromic materials.

From the aspect of obtaining sufficient recording sensitivity, it ispreferable for the material used for the light absorption layer to havea relatively high absorption coefficient with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength. The material used for the lightabsorption layer includes, for example, carbide non-oxides (e.g. SiC,B₄C, TiC, WC), carbon non-oxides (e.g. amorphous carbon, graphite,diamond), ceramics (e.g. ferrite), phase change recording materials(e.g. Te—TeO₂, Te—TeO₂—Pd, Sb₂Se₃/Bi₂Te₃, Ge—Te—Sb—S, Te—TeO₂—Ge—Sn,Te—Ge—Sn—Au, Ge—Te—Sn, Sn—Se—Te, Sb—Se—Te, Sb—Se, Ga—Se—Te, Ga—Se—Te—Ge,In—Se, In—Se—Tl—Co, Ge—Sb—Te, In—Se—Te, Ag—In—Sb—Te, Ag—Zn, Cu—Al—Ni,In—Sb, In—Sb—Se, In—Sb—Te), pure metal materials (e.g. nickel, chromium,titanium, tantalum), alloy materials (e.g. copper/aluminum alloy,nickel/iron alloy), semi-metal materials (e.g. silicon), andsemiconductor materials (e.g. Ge).

Among the above-described materials, it is preferable to use a materialcontaining Si, Ge as the light absorption layer (e.g. Si, Ge, SiC). Thethickness of the light absorption layer normally ranges from 5 nm to 150nm.

As for the material used for the heat insulating layer, there is, forexample, simple oxides (e.g. Al₂O₃, MgO, BeO, ZrO₂, UO₂, ThO₂), silicateoxides (e.g. SiO₂, 2MgO.SiO₂, MgO.SiO₂, CaO.SiO₃, ZrO₂.SiO₂,3Al₂O₃.2SiO₂, 2MgO.2Al₂O₃.5SiO₂, Li₂O.Al₂O₃.4SiO₂), double oxides (e.g.Al₂TiO₅, MgAl₂O₄, Ca₁₀ (PO₄)₆ (OH)₂, BaTiO₃, LiNbO₃, PZT=Pb(Zr, Ti)O₃,PLZT=(Pb, La) (Zr, Ti) O₃, ferrite), nitride non-oxides (e.g. Si₃N₄,Si_(6-z)AL_(z)O_(z)N_(8-z), AlN, BN, TiN), carbide non-oxides (e.g. SiC,B₄C, TiC, WC), boride non-oxides (e.g. LaB₆, TiB₂, ZrB₂), sulfidenon-oxides (e.g. CdS, MoS₂), silicide non-oxides (e.g. MoSi₂), andcarbon non-oxides (e.g. amorphous carbon, graphite, diamond).

It is preferable to use SiO₂ or ZnS.SiO₂ as a main body (main component)of the heat insulating layer from the aspect of productivity andtransparency with respect to the recording/reproduction light.Furthermore, it is preferable to use ZrO₂ as a main body (maincomponent) of the heat insulating layer from the aspect of obtaining asufficient heat insulting effect. Here, “main component” refers toconsisting no less than 50%, by weight, of the entire heat insulatingmaterial.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the material of the heat insulatinglayer is an oxide having ZnS, ZrO₂, Y₂O₃, and SiO₂. Alternatively, it ispreferable that the material of the heat insulating layer is a materialhaving ZrO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, and a material X, in which the material Xincludes at least one of Al₂O₃, MgO, CaO, NbO, Y₂O₃, or CeO. Thethickness of the heat insulating layer normally ranges fromapproximately 5 nm to 200 nm.

The reflection layer may be disposed on the organic material layerdirectly or via the heat insulating layer or the overcoat layer, forexample. The thickness of the reflection layer preferably ranges from 50nm to 300 nm.

A material having sufficient reflectivity with respect to the wavelengthof the reproduction light beam may be used for the reflection layer. Thematerial of the reflection layer includes, for example, single or alloysof Au, Al, Ag, cu, Ti, Cr, Ni, Pt, Ta, and Pd. Among such metals, Au, Aland Ag are high reflectivity materials that are suitable for thereflection layer.

Furthermore, the reflection layer having the above-described metals asthe main component may also include other elements. The elements may bemetals or semi-metals such as Mg, Se, Hf, V, Nb, Ru, W, Mn, Re, Fe, Co,Rh, Ir, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Te, Pb, Po, Sn, and Bi. It ispreferable to use Al as the main component since a high reflectivity canbe obtained at a low cost. Materials other than metals may also be usedfor the reflection layer. In this case, the reflection layer is formedas a multi-layer structure, in which a thin layer having low refractiveindex and another thin layer having high refractive index arealternately stacked on each other.

The reflection layer may be formed by employing, for example, asputtering method, an ion-plating method, a chemical evaporation method,or a vacuum evaporation method.

An overcoat layer, an undercoat layer, or a bonding layer of a knowninorganic or organic material may be disposed on the substrate or thereflective layer for the purpose of enhancing reflectivity, improvingrecording characteristics, or improving adhesiveness.

There is no particular restriction regarding the material used as theprotective layer provided on the reflection layer as long as it servesto protect the reflection layer from external force. As an organicmaterial used for the protective layer, there is, for example, athermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin, an electron radiation curingresin, and a UV curing resin. As an inorganic material used for theprotective layer, there is, for example, SiO₂, SiN₄, MgF₂, and SnO₂.

The thermoplastic resin and the thermosetting resin can be formed on thereflection layer by applying a coating liquid (obtained by dissolvingthe resin in a suitable solvent) onto the reflection layer and dryingthe coating liquid.

The UV curing resin may be applied in the form as is or applied in theform of a coating liquid (obtained by dissolving the resin in a suitablesolvent) onto the reflection layer and curing the resin by irradiating aUV light thereto. The UV curing resin includes, for example, acrylateresins such as urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, and polyesteracrylate. These materials may be used alone or in combination and may beapplied as a single layer or as multiple layers.

The protective layer may be formed by employing, for example, variouscoating methods (e.g. spin-coating method, casting method), a sputteringmethod, or a chemical evaporation method. Among these methods, it ispreferable to use the spin-coating method.

The thickness of the protective layer normally ranges from 0.1 μm to 100μm. In the present invention, the thickness of the protective layerpreferably ranges from 3 μm to 30 μm.

Alternatively, the substrate may be adhered to the reflection layer.Furthermore, one optical recording medium may be adhered to anotheroptical recording medium reflection in a manner having each of thereflection layers facing each other in an inward direction.

Furthermore, a UV curing resin layer or an inorganic thin film layer maybe deposited on the mirror surface side of the substrate for the purposeof protecting the substrate surface or preventing particles fromattaching thereto.

The cover layer is to be used in a case where a lens having a high NA(numerical aperture) is employed for high density recording. Forexample, in a case where a lens of a high NA is employed, it is desiredto reduce the thickness of the portion throughwhich the reproductionlight beam is transmitted. This is because the allowable amount ofaberration (caused by so-called tilt angle (deviation of disk plane withrespect to perpendicularly intersecting optical axis of the opticalpickup) is reduced as the NA becomes higher and because the tilt angleis easily affected by aberration that varies depending on the thicknessof the substrate.

Accordingly, by reducing the thickness of the substrate, the effects ofthe aberration with respect to the tilt angle can be reduced.

Therefore, the optical recording medium according to one embodiment ofthe present invention is provided with a substrate, a recording layer(organic material layer) being formed on the substrate with lands andgrooves, a reflection layer being formed on the recording layer, and athin film cover layer being formed on the reflection layer for allowinglight to be transmitted therethrough. With the optical recording mediumaccording to this embodiment of the present invention, the informationrecorded on the recording layer is reproduced by irradiating areproduction light beam from the side toward the cover layer. Theoptical recording medium according to another embodiment of the presentinvention is provided with a substrate, a reflection layer beingprovided on the substrate, a recording layer (organic material layer)being formed on the reflection layer, and a cover layer being formed onthe recording layer for allowing light to be transmitted therethrough.The optical recording medium according to the other embodiment of thepresent invention also enables information recorded on the recordinglayer to be reproduced by irradiating a reproduction light beam from theside toward the cover layer.

Accordingly, the increase in the NA of the objective lens can beaccommodated by forming the cover layer as a thin film layer. That is,recording can be performed in higher density by providing the thin filmcover layer and reproducing information by irradiating the reproductionlight beam from the cover layer side.

It is to be noted that, the cover layer is typically formed with apolycarbonate sheet or a UV curing resin. Furthermore, the cover layermay be provided with an adhesive layer for attachment with anotherlayer.

The thickness of the cover layer typically ranges approximately from0.01 mm to 0.5 mm.

The laser beam irradiated to the optical recording medium according tothe above-described embodiments of the present invention is preferred tohave a short wavelength for performing high density recording (forexample, a laser beam with a wavelength ranging from 350 nm to 530 nm).One representative example of such laser beam is a laser beam having acenter wavelength of 405 nm.

Next, more specific examples of the present invention are described. Thepresent invention, however, is not to be limited to these examples.

Example 1

In this example, a write-only-read-many optical recording mediumincluding a substrate (having track guide grooves with a groove depth of55 nm) on which an organic material layer (formed with a organic pigmentmaterial and having an average thickness of approximately 60 nm), a Agreflection layer (having a thickness of 150 nm), and a protective layer(formed with a UV curing resin and having a thickness of 5 μm) arelayered in this order. The organic pigment material, having a structureshown below in [Formula 1], has an absorption spectrum that is suitablefor CD-R, as shown in FIG. 5.

This organic pigment material corresponds to the above-described organicmaterial having a sufficient light absorption function accommodating therecording/reproduction wavelength and further corresponds to theabove-described organic material having a main absorption band situatedtoward the long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range and a second absorption bandsituated in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength range.

Under the below-given conditions, recording was performed on the grooveparts of the optical recording medium by using an optical diskevaluation device DDU-1000 (manufactured by Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd,wavelength: 405 nm, NA: 0.65). As a result, a Low-to-High recordingproperty was obtained.

<Recording Conditions>

Linear Recording Density 1T = 0.0917 Type of Modulation 8-16 modulationLinear Recording Speed 6.0 (m/s) Recording Strategy Basic StrategyTtop-Tmp = 1.20-0.60 (T)According to the optical recording medium of the first example of thepresent invention, the optimum jitter was obtained in the vicinity of arecording power of 7.5 mW, in which the jitter (σ/Tw) was 9.5%.

FIG. 6 shows an eye pattern of reproduction signals obtained afterperforming an equalizing process. The results show that satisfactoryrecording performance can be obtained by the optical recording mediumaccording to the first example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows results of evaluating change of jitter and change of thereproduction signal level (change of reflectivity) at recorded parts (▪)and unrecorded parts (Δ) where recording is conducted in variousrecording powers with the optical recording medium according to thefirst example of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows that a significantrecording contrast and a satisfactory jitter characteristic can beobtained with the optical recording medium according to the firstexample of the present invention.

Example 2

The second example is described for showing that the recording power forobtaining an optimum jitter can be reduced and that satisfactory jittercharacteristics can be obtained by inserting a heat insulating layer(shown below in Table 1) between the pigment layer (organic materiallayer) and the reflection layer to the optical recording mediumaccording to the first example of the present invention. Other than theheat insulating layer being inserted between the pigment layer (organicmaterial layer) and the reflection layer, the configuration of theoptical recording medium according to the second example of the presentinvention is the same as that the optical recording medium according tothe first example of the present invention.

In the same manner as Example 1, the optimum recording power and theoptimum jitter was evaluated by recording at the groove parts of theoptical recording medium according to the second example of the presentinvention. The results are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Optimum Material of Heat Recording Insulating Layer Power (mW)Jitter σ/Tw (%) SiO₂ 6.8 9.8 ZnS—SiO₂ 7.1 9.9 (ZrO₂—3 mol % Y₂O₃) 6.59.6 (ZrO₂—3 mol % Y₂O₃)—5 mol % SiO₂ 6.6 9.7 (ZrO₂—3 mol % Y₂O₃)—20 mol% TiO₂ 6.4 9.5 (ZrO₂—3 mol % Y₂O₃)—50 mol % TiO₂ 6.2 9.6 (ZrO₂—8 mol %Y₂O₃)—20 mol % TiO₂ 6.0 9.8 (ZrO₂—3 mol % Y₂O₃)—10 mol % TiO₂ 6.3 9.5

It is to be noted that, a Low-to-High recording property can be obtainedwith the optical recording medium according to the second example of thepresent invention using different materials for the heat insulatinglayer.

Furthermore, with the optical recording medium of the first examplehaving no heat insulating layer provided thereto, recording could not besufficiently performed at the land parts in a case where the recordingpower is no greater than 11.0 mW. In such a case, jitter characteristicscould not be measured. Meanwhile, with the optical recording medium ofthe second example having the heat insulating layer provided thereto,recording could be sufficiently performed at the land parts, and thejitter characteristic could be measured even when the recording power isno greater than 11.0 mW.

However, since optimization of various conditions (e.g. shape of thegroove parts and land parts, coating state of the pigment, thickness ofthe pigment layer) is not performed in the second example, the recordingat the land parts showed that the optimum recording power increased toan average of approximately 2.0 mW and the optimum jitter increased toapproximately 12.0% when compared to recording at the groove parts.

Example 3

In the third example, another write-only-read-many optical recordingmedium including a substrate (having track guide grooves with a groovedepth of 55 nm) on which a light absorption layer (formed of SiC andhaving a thickness of 10 nm), an organic material layer (formed with aorganic pigment material and having an average thickness ofapproximately 60 nm), a Ag reflection layer (having a thickness of 150nm), and a protective layer (formed with a UV curing resin and having athickness of 5 μm) are layered in this order. The organic pigmentmaterial, having a structure shown below in [Formula 2], has anabsorption spectrum that is suitable for CD-R, as shown in FIG. 8.

The organic pigment material in the third example hardly has anyabsorption in the recording/reproduction wavelength range andcorresponds to a material satisfying the above-described relation of“(light absorption function of organic material layer inrecording/reproduction wavelength area)<(light absorption function oflight absorption layer in recording/reproduction wavelength area)”.

Under the below-given conditions, recording was performed on the landparts of the optical recording medium by using an optical diskevaluation device DDU-1000 (manufactured by Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd,wavelength: 405 nm, NA: 0.65). As a result, a Low-to-High recordingproperty was obtained.

<Recording Conditions>

Linear Recording Density 1T = 0.0917 Type of Modulation 8-16 modulationLinear Recording Speed 6.0 (m/s) Recording Strategy Basic StrategyTtop-Tmp = 1.20-0.60 (T)

According to the optical recording medium of the first example of thepresent invention, the optimum jitter was obtained in the vicinity of arecording power of 7.5 mW, in which the jitter (σ/Tw) was 9.5%.

According to the optical recording medium of the third example of thepresent invention, the optimum jitter was obtained in the vicinity of arecording power of 8.5 mW, in which the jitter (σ/Tw) was 10.0%.

The eye pattern of reproduction signals obtained after performing anequalizing process is substantially the same as the eye pattern shown inFIG. 6 and shows that satisfactory recording performance can be obtainedby the optical recording medium according to the third example of thepresent invention.

Furthermore, FIG. 9 shows the results of evaluating changes of jitterwhere recording is conducted in various recording powers with theoptical recording medium according to the third example of the presentinvention. The results indicate that satisfactory jitter characteristicscan be obtained with the optical recording medium according to the thirdexample of the present invention.

Hence, as described in the foregoing examples, satisfactoryrecording/reproduction characteristics can be obtained in the blue laserwavelength range by using a pigment, such as those shown in [Formula 1]and [Formula 2], accommodating red laser wavelengths. Furthermore, asshown with the absorption spectrums of the pigments of [Formula 1] and[Formula 2] (See FIGS. 5 and 8), the pigments of the present inventionis hardly affected by the wavelengths of the complex refractive index(n, k) since the absorption coefficient in the blue laser wavelengthrange only changes moderately with respect to the complex refractiveindex.

Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, butvarious variations and modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

The present application is based on Japanese priority application No.2002-381401 filed on Dec. 27, 2002, with the Japanese Patent Office, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

1. A recording/reproduction method exhibiting a Low-to-High recordingproperty, the method comprising a step of: performing arecording/reproduction process on an optical recording medium by using alaser having a wavelength that is no greater than 500 nm; wherein theoptical recording medium includes a substrate, an organic material layerprovided on the substrate, the organic material layer having a lightabsorption function that is sufficient for recording in arecording/reproduction wavelength range, a reflection layer provided onthe organic material layer, and a heat insulating layer providedadjacent to the organic material layer; wherein the organic materiallayer contains an organic material having a first absorption bandsituated toward a long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range, a second absorption band thatdoes not belong to the first absorption band, the second absorption bandsituated in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength range,and a third absorption band situated toward a short wavelength side withrespect to the recording/reproduction wavelength range, the thirdabsorption band exhibiting an absorption greater than an absorption ofanother absorption band situated toward the long wavelength side withrespect to the recording/reproduction wavelength range, wherein thethird absorption band has a largest absorption wavelength that is nogreater than 300 nm.
 2. The recording/reproduction method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the heat insulating layer includes any of SiO₂,ZnS.SiO₂, and ZrO₂ as a main component.
 3. The recording/reproductionmethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat insulating layer includesZnS, ZrO₂, Y₂O₃, and SiO₂.
 4. The recording/reproduction method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the heat insulating layer includes ZrO₂,TiO₂, SiO₂, and X, wherein X includes at least one of Al₂O₃, MgO, CaO,NbO, Y₂O₃, and CeO.
 5. The recording/reproduction method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the substrate includes groove parts and land parts,wherein recording areas are formed in both the groove parts and the landparts.
 6. A recording/reproduction method exhibiting a Low-to-Highrecording property, the method comprising a step of: performing arecording/reproduction process on an optical recording medium by using alaser having a wavelength that is no greater than 500 nm; wherein theoptical recording medium includes a substrate, a reflection layerprovided on the substrate, an organic material layer provided on thereflection layer, the organic material layer having a light absorptionfunction that is sufficient for recording in a recording/reproductionwavelength range, a cover layer, and a heat insulating layer providedadjacent to the organic material layer, wherein the organic materiallayer contains an organic material having a first absorption bandsituated toward a long wavelength side with respect to therecording/reproduction wavelength range, a second absorption band thatdoes not belong to the first absorption band, the second absorption bandsituated in the vicinity of the recording/reproduction wavelength range,and a third absorption band situated toward a short wavelength side withrespect to the recording/reproduction wavelength range, the thirdabsorption band exhibiting an absorption greater than an absorption ofanother absorption band situated toward the long wavelength side withrespect to the recording/reproduction wavelength range, wherein thethird absorption band has a largest absorption wavelength that is nogreater than 300 nm.
 7. The recording/reproduction method as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the heat insulating layer includes any of SiO₂,ZnS.SiO₂, and ZrO₂ as a main component.
 8. The recording/reproductionmethod as claimed in claim 6, wherein the heat insulating layer includesZnS, ZrO₂, Y₂O₃ and SiO₂.
 9. The recording/reproduction method asclaimed in claim 6, wherein the heat insulating layer includes ZrO₂,TiO₂, SiO₂ and X, wherein X includes at least one of Al₂O₃, MgO, CaO,NbO, Y₂O₃, and CeO.